Offenders
Crime hurts, but restorative justice heals.Punishment through the criminal justice system doesn’t require people to act, think, or change. When we lock people up, we excuse them from what they’ve done without having to answer to their crimes. Restorative justice is a process to hold them accountable.
The Community Justice Center believes that offenders aren’t defined by the worst thing they’ve ever done, but it is their responsibility to make better choices and realize their impact.
Our work:
Rates of recidivism are rising because “tried and true” standards of justice alone aren’t working. Our programs complement the traditional justice system to create change and impact to offenders.
Participants in our programs learn to:
Reduce violent behavior
“Far too often in our society offenders are released from correctional facilities without being held accountable in any meaningful way for the pain, suffering, trauma, and loss they have inflicted upon others, and it is quite reassuring to know that your program will change that.”
– Cheryl D. Green, Director of Victim Services at the Maryland Department of Juvenile Justice